Reverse-gear valve.



C. L. DICKERT.

REVERSE GEAR VALVE- APPLacmou FILED JAN.2, 1911.

Patented June 26, 1917.

2 ISHEETS-SHEET 1.

. ..l V II. Yk

C. L. DICKERT.

REVERSE GEAR VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. $917.

,3L13'? Patented June 26,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- CURTIS L. DICKERT, OF MACON, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 FREDERICK F. GAINES, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM H. FETNER AND ONE-FOURTH TO ROBERT L. DOOLITTLE, BOTH OF MACON, GEORGIA.

REVERSE-GEAR VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,217.

to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates broadly to improvements in locomotive reverse gears and more particularly to a power control therefor, the object of the invention being to provide an extremely simple yet highly sensitive and durable valve mechanism by means of which the piston in a pressure cylinder may be accurately set at the required point and maintained at this location even though leakage may occur at some point in the cylinder or pressure supplymeans leading thereto.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and unique combine tions of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of; this application and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved valve applied;

Fig. 2 is a top'plan View;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section with parts in elevation; I

Fig. 41- is a vertical transverse section on the plane'of the line 44 of Fig. 3, showing the neutral positions of the valve 'disk' and the segment cooperating therewith;

Fig; 5 is a view similar to Fig.

Init pressure from the valve casing into one end of the cylinder and to exhaust the pressure from the other end of said cylinder;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are vertical transverse sections on'the planes of the lines 66, 7- 7 and88 of Fig. 3; I

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the several moving parts of the valve;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the segmental valve member.

In the drawings above briefly described,

"' 'theimmerakkdesigiates a valve casing havl, illus trating the segment so adjusted as to ad-' ing a pressure supply pipe 2 which may be located at the point shown in the drawings or may be tapped into bosses 3 disposedat other suitable points, the openings of said bosses being normally closed by screw plugs 4: as shown in Figs. 2 and 8. One end 5 of easing 1 is removably secured in place by bolts or the like 6 and a T-shaped boss 7 isv formed integrally with the outer side of said end. Distributing ports 8 are formed through the lateral portions of the boss 7 and are in communication with pipes 9 lead ing to the opposite ends of a pressure oylinder. 1.0 upon which the casing is-mounted in any preferred manner. The vertical portion of the T-shaped boss 7 is formed with an exhaust port 11 communicating with an exhaust pipe 12 which may lead to anypreferred point.

Located within the cylinder 10 is a pis-- ton 13 whose rod 14 .is connected with a cross head 15 which slides upon a suitable guide-16, a link 17 being pivoted to said cross head as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This link extends to and is connected with the usual reverse gear or link mechanism of the locomotive so that when the piston 13 is shifted by admission of pressure into. one

endof the cylinder or the other, said, link mechanism will be correspondingly adjusted. I

A valve disk 18 is disposed within'the casing land contacts tightly with the end 5 thereof, said disk being carried by the inner end of a rock shaft 19 which extends through the boss 7 as shown, the extreme inner end of said shaft preferably projecting a slight distance beyond the disk as depicted in As shown clearly in Figs:

4, 5 and 9, the disk 18 is provided with a pair of arcuate channels 20 which are formed in its outer face for registration with theports 8, regardless of the position to which said disk is adjusted. The outer face of the disk 18 is also formed with an arcuate exhaust channel 21 which at all times registers with the exhaust port 11, the center of said exhaust channel being provided with a port 22 leading through. the inner face of the disk while the inner ends of the channels 20 are formed with similar openings 23 which are by preference of the contour illustrated. A disk segment 24 contactsslidably wit the inner face of the disk 18 and is formed in its contacting face with an arcuate channel 25 adapted to establish communication ing 1 simultaneously with the establishment of communication between the other port 23 and port 22 as will be clear fromF 1g. 5.

The inner edge of the segment 24 15 formed with a curved seat 26- concentricwith its periphery, said seat receiving the projecting inner end of the shaft 19 and also the inner end of another shaft 27 which extends into the casing 1 in axial alinement with 19. The segment is thus guided for movement between the inner curved wall of the casing and the two shafts.

The shaft 27 is provided with a crank arm 28 located in the casing 1 and formed with an opening 29 asshown most clearly in Fig. 9, said opening receiving therein a stud 30 as indicated in Fig. 3, a coiled spring 31 being interposed between said arm and the segment 24 to retain the latter in tight contact with the disk 18 when for any reason there is no pressure supplied to the casing through the pipe 2. By this arrangement of parts it will be obvious that when shaft 27 is turned, the segment 24 will be adjusted so as to control the several ports in the manner above described.

For manually adjusting shaft 27, the latter is provided with.a crank arm 32 connected by a link 33 with a hand lever 34 located in the engine cab,a suitable rack 35 and dog 36 being provided for locking said lever in adjusted position. Another crank arm 37 is secured to the outer end of the shaft 19, the outer end of said arm being connected by a link 38 with the cross hea 15 so that after the segment 24-has been adjusted to the required position by the 'lever 34 and pressure-admitted to one end of the cylinder or the other, the movement of the cross head 15 caused by this pressure acting on the piston 13, will adjust the valve disk 18 until it assumes its normal relative position with respect to the segment 24. This cuts oil the supply of pressure to the cylinder and the piston 13 will remain at the point towhich it has been forced. If for any reason leakage should occnr which permits the escape of pressure from either end of the cylinder 10, the piston 13 will of course move toward the end at which the leak occurs. 'The moment his movement takes place, however, the li k 38 and arm 37 adjust the disk 18 in respect to the segment 24 so as to open up the port 23 which leads to the leaking end of the cylinder.

the principal advantages.

The supply of pressure to this end will thus (see Fig. 5), the large end of one of .these' ports will be placed in communication with the interior of the casing 1 to conduct pressure through one of the distributing ports a 8 and pipes 9 to one end of the cylinder 10. At the same time, the contracted end of the other port 23 places the other port 8 in communication with the exhaust port 11 by means of the channel 21 and port 22. It

will thus be evident that whereas the fluid pressure is supplied freely to one end of thewylinder it 1s permitted to escape only at a comparatively slow rate from the other end thereof. This causes the piston 13 to move against an air cushion, which resistance prevents it from shifting beyond the properpoint, it being obvious that it will come to a standstill as'soon as the arm 37 properly positions the valve .disk 18 in respect to the segment l4.v

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be clear that although the invention is of much more simple nature than those heretofore employed for the same purpose, it will be equally'as efficient. For these reasons the construction shown constitutes the preferred form of the improved valve mechanism but it is to be understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous changes may be made without I claim:

1. A reverse gear valve comprising a casing having a fluid pressure inlet, a pair of axlally alined rock shafts extending into said casing, a valve disk secured on one of said shafts, a crank arm extending from the other and having in its free end an opening, a disk segment contacting with the inner face of the aforesaid disk and cooperating therewith in controlling the distribution of fluid under pressure from the casing, a stud-extending laterally from said segment and received in the opening of said crank arm, a sprin interposed between said segment and arm or holding the former in contact with the valve disk, and means connected' with the two shafts for operating them. from independent mechanisms, the periphery of the aforesaid disk segment contacting slidably with the inner side of the casing and the inner edge ofsaid segment sacrificing being formed with a curved seat concentric with said periphery and contacting with the inner end of one of the aforesaid shafts.

2. A reverse gear valve comprising a cylindrical casing having a fluid pressure inlet and having at one end a pair of distributing ports and an exhaust port, a valve disk in the casing contacting with said end there of and havingan arrangement of ports c0- operating with the others and including a pair of ports opening through the inner face of said disk for communication with the interior of the casing, a disk segment contactin with said face of the disk with its ends s ightly overlapping said pair of ports to control communication with the easing, the periphery of said segment sliding on the casing wall and the inner edge there- CURTIS L. DICKERT. Witnesses J, A. GRIESBAUER, Lil A. NOONE. 

